The main hero of the Half-Life series, Gordon Freeman is, at the point where Half-Life begins, a recently graduated scientist who is about half a hour late for an experiment, taking place deep within the Black Mesa Research Facility. If only he had known that it would soon become the least of his worries that day...

Finding himself at the ground zero of a disaster, trapped between an invasion of aggressive creatures from the dimension Xen and a shadowy military force that wants him and his colleagues dead, Freeman manages to battle his way across the facility in the span of two days, staying alive against all odds, aided by his HEV suit and staunch determination. He is eventually teleported to Xen, where he takes on the leader of the aliens, after which he finds himself face to face with the mysterious G-Man, who offers him a job.

Displaced by G-Man in time and space, Gordon suddenly finds himself in the so-called "City 17", in some undisclosed part of Eastern-Europe two decades after the events at Black Mesa. He discovers that Earth has been conquered by an alien empire called "The Combine", who rules their new colony with an iron fist, and he quickly manages to run afoul of them and is soon hunted by their military. But he also finds out that some of his old friends from Black Mesa have organized a resistance group that fights against the regime, and that he himself has become a revered and famous figure for the rebels due to his actions at Black Mesa. Together with the resistance fighter Alyx Vance, he ignites a full-scale rebellion against the Combine, and manages to bring down their central control-center on Earth.

In the wake of the overthrow of the Combine control, however, Gordon and Alyx, along with the rest of the rebels, soon find themselves engaged in a even more bloody and desperate struggle to defeat the remaining Combine forces on Earth, and, even more importantly, preventing them from contacting the empire proper for reinforcements.

The Ace: A brilliant scientist, expertly skilled in almost all conventional weaponry, and consistently successful. When the Rebels have lost all hope and need an army to turn the tide, they look solely to Gordon. And he succeeds.

Action Survivor: Despite his legendary reputation come the second game, he was really just an Average (really smart) Joe minding his own business at a government job who was really good at adapting when the Incident happened. Even when he wakes up in the Combine era, he applies his resourcefulness despite not really knowing what's going on.

Asskicking Equals Authority: By the time of Half-Life 2, he doesn't have any definitive rank in the rebellion, but he pretty much commands any rebel squads he comes across, who are all too willing to Zerg Rush a position if he so much as looks at it, all because he's good at killing things.

The Dreaded: He steadily builds up a reputation throughout his adventures in Half-Life; by the midpoint of the game, the marines know exactly who he is and are actively hunting for him specifically. By the end, the Nihilanth is able to directly address him by name.

The Rebels' reaction when he takes down his first Strider, and in Episode Two where he takes out an army of them.

Divine Intervention: Well, more like "reality-altering shapeshifting alien intervention" - as much of a badass as Freeman is, there have been a few times where he should have died, or even did outright die, only for the mysterious G-Man to intervene and keep him alive for his own reasons.

Dude, Where's My Respect?: Averted. His reputation actually seems to do more work than him at times. He's definitely a badass by all standards, but his reputation reaches further than he does, inspiring and rallying the Resistance whether or not he does anything.

One-Man Army: While his suit is a big part of it (it gives him about 4 times as much health as a regular soldier when fully charged, can automatically reload his holstered weapons, and applies morphine and other assistance to keep him going at full strength even when badly wounded), it is still pretty amazing considering he is just a scientist.

The best example is probably at the end of Episode Two. The rebel's main headquarters comes under attack from multiple directions. Dozens of Combine Elite Mooks storm through the roof on dropships and set up numerous defensive positions, a bunch of Hunters break in to support them, and a dozen striders, each supported by 2-3 Hunters, start attacking the base. After the rebel personnel get completely slaughtered, they just send Freeman, thinking that he's all they'll need to repel hundreds of heavily armed and armored dark energy rifle wielding super soldiers, and a bunch of giant tripod death machines supported by dozens of other, smaller tripod death machines. They're right.Completely.

One Riot, One Ranger: By Episode Two the Resistance sees him as nothing short than an unstoppable god amongst men, and he's often sent into the fray alone or with minimal help - not because of Resistance laziness or cowardice, but because Freeman consistently wins and thrashes the Combine in the process single-handedly.

Training from Hell: His first combat experience saw him go from being a mild-mannered scientist to becoming an Action Survivor of a bloody catastrophe that left many of his friends and colleagues dead whilst pitting him against the United States government, hordes of savage monstrosities, and an entire extraterrestrial empire.

The player character in Blue Shift, Barney Calhoun was a security guard at Black Mesa, and arrived to his duties at the same time as Gordon. Unlike Gordon and Adrian, he was the only player character in the first Half-Life not to have a special suit, and the only main character to escape from Black Mesa on his own, along with a few scientists.

In Half-Life 2, Barney, posing as a Combine Civil Protection security guard, saves Gordon from heading to Nova Prospekt. He helps Gordon fight for the Resistance in City 17, and in Episode One, he helps some of the residents evacuate. Last seen boarding a train outbound from City 17 by the end of Episode One with the help of Gordon and Alyx, his whereabouts are unknown in Episode Two.

Ascended Extra: From being a stock security guard in Half-Life 1 to the star of Blue Shift to a major character in Half-Life 2.

Badass Normal: Moreso than any of the other player characters. He went through Blue Shift with only security guard equipment, and unlike Gordon and Adrian, he isn't under surveillance by the G-Man.

Call Back: In Half-Life, Barney invites Dr. Freeman to join him on the firing range and grab a beer with him. In Half-Life 2, he mentions he still owes Freeman a beer.

The Lancer: Fills the gap for Alyx in Half-Life 2 during the chapter Follow Freeman!

Also, the subtitles censor a different portion of the word "fuck" than is covered by the audible crash.

Put on a Bus: More accurately, the second-to-last train to leave City 17 at the end of Episode One.

Reverse Mole: Works within Civil Protection and uses it as a means to help civilians escape from the city

Rebel Leader: He seems to be the rebels de facto field commander, behind in rank only to Eli and maybe Gordon.

Suddenly Voiced: As typical for protagonists in the series, he's a Heroic Mime in Blue Shift, but he talks as an NPC in Half-Life 2.

Took a Level in Badass: Barney handles himself well in Blue Shift (even surviving through Xen, for one), but when we meet up with him in the second game, he's one of the leaders of the Resistance, their mole in Civil Protection, and once the revolution hits the streets, a competent field commander.

Corporal Adrian Shephard

Age: 22.

Training: United States Marine Corps, Special Forces.

Assignment: Hazardous Environment Combat Unit, Santiago, Arizona.

Mission: Classified.

The player character in Opposing Force, Adrian Shephard was one of the men in his unit assigned to Black Mesa to do a full containment, cleaning out the witnesses, and finding Gordon Freeman. However, his transport was ambushed and shot down before he was given his mission, which leads him to work together with Black Mesa's scientists and security guards despite them becoming increasingly distrustful of him as the game progresses. In some of his attempts to escape and regroup with any members of his team, the G-Man both helped and hindered him along the way.

He was ultimately detained by the G-Man in Another Dimension at the end of Opposing Force, now pending further evaluation.

Breakout Mook Character: In the main Half-Life game, the marines were just enemies to shoot at. In Opposing Force, you play as one.

Cool Pet: One of his weapons is a Spore Launcher, which is a small alien he uses to shoot at bigger aliens. The reason it is considered a pet is that if the player is standing still long enough while equipping it, Shephard will actually pet it.

Deus ex Machina: Early in the game, Shephard is trapped in a room which is filling with toxic waste. He only reason he doesn't die is that the G-Man opens the door for him so he can escape.

Diabolus ex Machina: After fighting his way through hordes of aliens, Shephard finally reached the evacuation. The only reason he stays behind is that the G-Man closes the door to prevent him from escaping.

The Faceless: Has only two character art pictures of him, both with his gas mask on. His multiplayer image is just a generic HECU soldier.

Long Bus Trip: Despite the facts that Opposing Force ends with Shephard in in a state from which he could easily be brought back, and Gabe Newell himself have stated that Valve is planning to "bring him back one of these days", no mentioning of him has been made in any of the Half-Life sequels.

One-Man Army: Fought more Black Ops assassins and carried more weapons than Barney or Gordon.

Powered Armor: He wears a vest which requires power but can protect him against things which would otherwise kill him. In his training, the drill instructor even demonstrates this by firing a shotgun at him while he wears a fully powered vest.

"As you can see, you are not dead."

Space Marine: Downplayed. Adrian Shephard is never in space. While his branch of the Marines is explicitly reserved for fighting aliens, he and his comrades remain planted firmly on Earth.

Suicide Mission: After G-Man hinders his one chance of escaping from Black Mesa, he ends up going deeper and deeper into the bowels of the facility. In the end, he goes to fight the Gene Worm despite knowing he will probably die.

Walking Armory: Notable in that his weapons not only includes various types of guns but also alien lifeforms.

Grenade Launcher: His sub-machine gun (assault rifle in the High Definition Pack) has an M203 mounted on the underside.

Living Weapon: He has one alien what he can use as gun that shoots energy balls, another alien that he uses as a gun that shoots exploding green balls (see Cool Pet), and an alien which will viciously attack anything he throws it at. He also has one of those hanging barnacles which can be used as a grappling hook, but this last one doesn't count because it can't be used as a weapon.

The barnacle can be used on all non-boss enemies actually. It's just not a good idea as they'll be shooting/clawing you the whole time and it takes a few bites to kill larger enemies, particularly the aliens. It's effective on Headcrabs though.

What the Hell, Hero?: Shephard inevitably gets snarked at by the scientists by the time it's clear he wasn't sent there to save anyone.

You Remind Me of X: G-Man uses variant 1 towards Shephard, and mentions his ability to survive against all odds as the main reason. G-Man also mentions that this why he saved Shephard's life and argued against his employers' wishes to kill him.

Gina Cross

Age: 31. Note According to unused files. The instruction manual gives her age as 25.

Employer and Position: Black Mesa Research Facility, Research Associate and Hazardous Environment Supervisor.

Education: PhD in Applied Physics, Caltech.

Clearance: Level 4.

Voice Actor: Kathy Levin

Dr. Gina Cross is one half of the protagonist team in Half-Life: Decay and a Black Mesa scientist. What happened to her after the events of Decay is unknown.

Ascended Extra: A hologram of her as the Hazard Course Instructor appears in Half-Life and Opposing Force. She can also be seen on security camera footage in Blue Shift, and is one of the original multiplayer characters.

Armor Is Useless: See Made of Iron; bizarrely enough, she can survive much more damage than other human NPCs (bar Barney and Freeman himself), even though she's not wearing any kind of armor, just a jacket and hoodie.

Badass in Distress: In the initial Half-Life 2, she gets bagged by the Combine during the revolt, and almost ends up sent through a Combine portal before Mossman saves her. In Episode Two, she gets skewered by a Hunter and is rendered Only Mostly Dead until the Vorts save her.

But Not Too Black: Noticeably fairer-skinned than her father, commonly mistaken for a tanned Caucasian woman (even though she's half African-American, half Malaysian). In discussions praising notable People of Color in video games, she tends to get left off the list as a result.

Disney Death: In Episode Two she gets stabbed in the back by a Hunter, and just manages to say "Gordon... Help...." before she passes out, appearing to be dead. Her condition goes from critically injured to no pulse left just before the Vortigaunts manage to save her.

Handgun: Her main weapon throughout the Half-Life 2 series is a seemingly custom made machine pistol she carries around in her jacket.

Give Geeks a Chance: She seems quite attached to Gordon. When her father Eli semi-jokingly tells her he wants grandkids while she and Gordon are both listening, leaving no doubt as to whom he envisions as their father, she laughs it off but doesn't actually appear disinclined to the idea.

Nerds Are Sexy: She's very knowledgeable about science and mechanics. Most of DOG is her work.

Nice Girl: She's a serious contender for the title of "Nicest Companion In The History Of Gaming". Alyx is nothing but supportive of Gordon, commends him on pretty much every even slightly awesome feat he pulls off, protects him with her life without a second of hesitation, always asks him to be careful when the circumstances force her to send him to do something she can't do herself... At the beginning of Episode One, she's so overjoyed to see him alive she actually greets him with an epic first-person Glomp. Some time later, after Gordon single-handedly wrecks a gunship and then a Strider, she almost bubbles over with awe and names him her personal hero. It's also very apparent she really, really loves her dad and cares deeply about just about everyone else (especially Gordon, of couse, whom she seems to have more than a slight crush on). She even gives a vortigaunt a peck at one point. Honestly, putting all the Crapsack World stuff around them aside, travelling with Alyx is basically one long Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.

Breen:[to Eli] Will you let your stubborn short-sightedness doom the entire species, or...[touching Alyx's face]...will you give your child the chance her mother never had? She spits in his face.Alyx: How dare you even mention her!

Trauma Conga Line: Where to start? For the first years of her life, she lives in the dormitories of Black Mesa, a dangerous and accident-prone research facility. Then, her mother is killed during the Black Mesa Incident. She only survives because the G-Man saves her life, putting her in his debt unknowingly. Fast forward to when she meets Gordon Freeman, leading to events in which her father is captured by the Combine. In the end, when the dark matter reactor explodes, killing Breen, she only survives because the Vortigaunts teleport her out of the wreckage. In the beginning of Episode Two, she is stabbed twice by the long blades of a Hunter and survives, once again, because of the Vortigaunts. Finally, after Eli, Magnusson, and Kleiner launch the rocket and Gordon and Alyx are about to get into a helicopter to save their friend Mossman, a pair of Advisors smash through the building and kill Eli right in front of her.

Dr. Eli Vance

A major character in Half-Life 2, Eli Vance is one of the survivors of the Resonance Cascade incident, a lead member of the Resistance, and Alyx's father. Also known to be a Harvard graduate.

Ascended Extra: Remember that scientist in Half-Life 1 that sent you up for help after the Resonance Cascade and opened the door for you? That's Eli. Made more obvious in Black Mesa, the Source Fan Remake.

Shipper on Deck: He's obviously quite fond of the idea of Gordon and Alyx hooking up.

So Proud of You: Says this to both Alyx and Gordon mere minutes before he's gruesomely killed by an Advisor. It's heavily implied he knew his end was coming and took the chance to secretly say farewell.

D0G

A walking junkpile that moves like a robotic gorilla, but has an effective mindset of a dog, hence his name. Fiercely loyal to and protective of Alyx, and her friends by extension.

Badass Adorable: Has quite the endearing attitude when he's happy, but when he's on the warpath, he'll smash the utter shit out of anything that isn't a Strider, where the only difference is that he'll take it apart with his bare hands instead.

Big Friendly Dog: You play catch with him as part of Alyx's training regime for the gravity gun.

Lightning Bruiser: He's more than capable of wrecking pretty much anything in his path. At the same time he's fast enough to keep up with a car going flat-out. When you race him to White Forest in Episode Two and don't make liberal use of your car's booster, chances are he'll be waiting for you at the gate when you finally get there.

My Nayme Is: D0G (with a zero) is written on his body shell. The in-game subtitles spell it "Dog" (with a letter o).

What a Piece of Junk: Consider him a junky old robot at your own peril if you're a Combine. He will thrash you.

Dr. Isaac Kleiner

Voice Actor: Harry S. Robins (Half-Life 2, Episodes One and Two)

A major character in Half-Life 2, Isaac was the man who recommended Gordon Freeman to Black Mesa Research Facility's Civilian Recruitment Division. Also a survivor of the Resonance Cascade incident at Black Mesa. Was also Gordon's theoretical physics teacher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Absent-Minded Professor: Fits the stereotype perfectly, though he's not quite as absent-minded as some. In fact, more of the problems that come from interacting with him tend to be Lamarr's fault, rather than his.

Admiring the Abomination: He's implied to be the scientist who finds headcrabs fascinating in the first game, leading to him keeping one as a pet in the second.

Ambiguously Jewish: Has a Hebrew given name and a German surname, and named his pet headcrab after a Jewish actress.

Adorkable: There's just something so endearing about a quiet, timid old man who coos over a headcrab as if it were a sweet little kitten.

Ascended Extra: Like Barney, he's a stock scientist from the original game turned into a main character in the sequel.

Bald of Awesome: He's almost completely bald, but still a highly capable scientist and a fairly entertaining fellow.

Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: The badass is hidden pretty deep down, but, he did manage to escape from Black Mesa alive and stay alive for years afterwards as a rebel. Plus, he somehow managed to catch a headcrab alive and surgically remove its zombifying fangs without getting turned into a zombie himself; give the man some credit for that.

Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: It really wouldn't be inaccurate to lay the entire mess of the second game and its expansion packs on him. It was Lamarr who disrupted the teleporter, causing Breen to become aware of Freeman's restoration, which resulted in the Transhuman Forces being rallied, which led to... well, all of the death and destruction the player sees sweep before them over the course of the game. All because he had to keep a frigging untameable brain-sucking alien monster as a pet.

Noodle Incident: It has to do something with the cat and the teleporter in his lab. Barney mentions the cat twice.

Trademark Favorite Food: Watermelons, if a sticky note found in Kleiner's lab is any indication. Must be a good substitute for heads.

Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Unwitting because it's a dumb animal, but thanks to Lamarr climbing into the teleporter, Gordon gets teleported into Breen's office and alerts the Combine to his presence.

Dr. Judith Mossman

The other scientist at Black Mesa East, and is somewhat distrustful of Alyx. Also played traitor for Wallace Breen, but after coming back to her senses, she eventually saves Gordon, Alyx, and Eli from him near the end of Half-Life 2. Was last seen with Resistance members tracking down the Borealis, and got ambushed from the Combine before she could finish her message. She is still alive, whereabouts unknown. Her message was found by Gordon and Alyx, who were pursued by the Combine for the entirety of Episodes One and Two while delivering it to the scientists in White Forest Base. She will be most likely seen again in 'Episode Three''.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Comes off as friendly and professional in her initial appearance, even if she doesn't get along with Alyx, but she's secretly working for the Combine.

Dr. Arne Magnusson

Voice Actor: John Aylward (Episode Two)

The manager of White Forest Base. Has a very distrustful relationship with Isaac Kleiner (well, they fought between each other for grant money). Later revealed to be the owner of a certain microwave casserole in the lounge of the Sector C Personnel Facilities in Black Mesa.

Brick Joke: Remember the casserole you had the option to blow up in the beginning of the first game? According to canon, that just so happened to be Arne's casserole, and Gordon did in fact blow it up, something Arne still hasn't forgiven.

It's All About Me: Magnusson is an incredibly egocentric asshole. Listening to him alone, it's very easy to get the impression that he does everything there is to do while everyone else exists solely to annoy him or hinder his great accomplishments. During the final sequence of Episode Two he explicitly takes full credit for the success of the entire operation (including the brutal defence of White Forest against a dozen friggin' Striders plus their Hunter escorts), completely ignoring the fact that he would've gotten nowhere without the invaluable support of scores of brave people, the player character among them, naturally.

Hate Sink: Just read through the other entries of his character sheet.

Jerkass: Specifically created to be this to contrast with Eli and Isaac

Evil Laugh: His laugh is pretty evil sounding, even though he's helping you.

Good Samaritan: Grigori is the only NPC in the entire game to help Gordon Freeman without recognizing who he is. He just thinks it's the right thing to do.

Good Shepherd: While there are few people left in Ravenholm for him to help, he gives Gordon a shotgun, some supplies, and has built several traps that Gordon uses on the zombies. It is implied that Grigori has done the same for other rebels.

Heroic Sacrifice: He willingly stays behind to slow the zombie hordes down and allow Gordon to escape. Whether he actually dies is never made clear. See below under Uncertain Doom.

Colonel Odessa Cubbage

Voice Actor: John Patrick Lowrie (Half-Life 2)

A somewhat suspicious and supposedly British Resistance colonel, leading the New Little Odessa base along the coast. He only appears briefly in the 7th chapter of Half-Life 2, granting Gordon a rocket launcher.

Call Back: After playing out his minor role in Half-Life 2, he disappears from the plot, and there is no mention of him again. Then, late in Episode One, three independent mentions suddenly turns up concerning him, first Alyx sarcastically claiming he is her father, then two rebels coming to the conclusion that he is an idiot, and finally a rebel who reveals that he had taken the credit for Gordon's work, and who turns out to be an admirer of him.

Cower Power: When the base he has responsibility to lead comes under an attack threatening its very existence, no less, Cubbage sends Freeman to dispatch the gunship, while he safely hides to send a warning to another base, that mysteriously never reaches its destination.

Miles Gloriosus: While there is no explicit mentions of his great military exploits, he does by no means seem like someone deserving a colonel title.

Better yet, a passing comment in Episode One reveals that he took the credit for shooting down aforementioned gunship.

Mysterious Past: The Prima Guide to Half-Life 2 states that virtually nothing is known of Cubbage's past, his name may even be taken from the outpost, the only thing sure is his cowardice.

If Gordon uses the Combine binoculars overlooking New Little Odessa, he can be seen talking to the G-Man.

Small Name, Big Ego: It is staggeringly clear that he believes himself to be one of the great heroes of La Résistance, although he appears to be the only one with this view, apart from one rebel in Episode One speaking somewhat highly of him.

The G-Man

Voice Actor: Mike Shapiro (Half-Life 1 and 2, Episodes One and Two)

A strange character, looking like a blend between a government worker and a businessman, who apparently has some limited control over space and time. All we know is that he's been observing the events of the entire Half-Life series. And that he is possibly not entirely human. He apparently answers to some higher authority which he simply refers to as his "employers". He has, however, on a couple of occasions hinted that he does not necessarily obey these "employers".

Affably Evil: We actually don't know how much "evil" he is. But if he is, he's pretty damn proper about it.

Ambiguously Evil: On one hand, his chessmaster antics, creepy dialogue, and mysterious powers make him easy to see as a villain of some sort. Plus, the Vortigaunts seem to oppose him and Eli suggests he's the one who gave Black Mesa the crystal that caused the resonance cascade in the first Half-Life. On the other hand, we know absolutely nothing about who he actually is and what his motivations are, and he seems to oppose the Combine, who definitely are villains, and he has saved Freeman and Shephard's lives on several occasions.

The Chessmaster: Although no one even knows what he is trying to accomplish.

Children Are a Waste: The G-Man seems to disagree, as he saved Alyx Vance despite objections from his employers, presumably because he anticipated the role she'd play in the future. They didn't want him to, because "she was a mere child, and of no practical use to anyone." Well...how about now?

G-Man: When I -plucked- hernote He's talking about Alyx from Black Mesa... I acted in the face of objections that she was a mere child and of no practical use to anyone. I have learned to ignore such -naysayers- when... quelling... them, uh, was out of the question.

Consummate Liar: If the Nihilanth is to be trusted (which is a dubious condition, to be sure).

Nihilanth: Deceive you... he will deceive you...

Dissonant Serenity: Always remains cool and businesslike no matter what chaos is occurring around him.

Graceful Loser: Not necessarily a villain, but when the Vortigaunts foil some plan he has for Gordon, he is annoyed but doesn't retaliate; he simply waits for another opportunity to make contact, and does not seem to hold any kind of grudge against them for their interference.

Humanoid Abomination: Maybe. Standing still, he looks human. When he moves — and where he appears — tells you that he cannot be.

Inexplicably Awesome: One of the most intriguing parts of the G-Man is how little we know about anything about him, including how he does what he does, what he is, who he works for, and what he wants.

Invisible to Normals: He can apparently choose which persons are able to see him, and it is hinted that he also has some power over if they remember him or not afterwards.

I See Them, Too: The G-Man appears to be invisible to everyone but Freeman and Shephard at times (excluding cameos in Blue Shift and Decay). However, the Nihilanth, Eli Vance, and the Vortigaunts are all also aware of his existence. Dr. Breen has also implied that he's aware of his employers, what the G-Man did to Gordon in the interim between the first and second games, and that Breen and/or the Combine may have also been involved in a bidding war for Gordon's 'services'. Breen was also implied to be among the "naysayers" who objected to the G-Man saving Alyx Vance's life.

Last-Second Ending Choice: What he does in Half-Life 1. After Gordon has defeated the Final Boss, the G-Man intercepts him, saying that his employers are very impressed with Gordon's work. He then offers to either employ Gordon, or throw him into a battle that cannot be won. How Gordon responds is up to you.

Lack of Empathy: Debatable. He saves Gordon's life quite a few times and later he admits he saved Alyx during the Black Mesa disaster suggesting that maybe he's capable of mercy. He also mentions to Shephard that he saved his life specifically because he sees him as a kindred spirit.

Manipulative Bastard: From locking out Gordon and Adrian from certain doors, to shoving them in deep-freeze, yeah.

The Men in Black: Doesn't quite fit the trope, but sure as hell evokes the basic concept, probably deliberately.

Noble Demon: If we believe what he says, then he most likely saved both Alyx and Shephard from his employers when it would have been easier to let them die.

No Name Given: While he is called "G-Man" in the credits and character models, he is never actually referred to as this in-story. The only direct reference to him is Eli's label of "our mutual friend." As such, the G-Man is not his actual name or even an In-Series Nickname. In the manual for Opposing Force, Adrian Shephard does call him "a G-man" in his diary, but this seems to be a generic term.

Offscreen Teleportation: Though there are two scenes where you get to see him do it: Once in Half-Life ("Lambda Core"), and once in Opposing Force ("Foxtrot Uniform"). Played straight several times in Half Life 2 and its episodes where he can occasionally be spotted in the distance, only to calmly walk away and disappear without a trace when approached. Even more glaring is his habit of appearing to Gordon literally out of thin air without using a visible portal, so...

Reality Warper: Can casually stop time and plant subliminal orders into people.

Retcon: He was originally imagined as the administrator of Black Mesa and a literal government agent, but in Half-Life 2 the administrator role was given to Breen.

Dr. Wallace Breen

Voice Actor: Robert Culp (Half-Life 2, cameo in Episode One)

Breen is the earlier head of the Black Mesa Research Facility, and was unnamed and unseen in the first game, where he is merely referred to as "The administrator". In Half-Life 2, he is the main antagonist and the Combine's puppet ruler of Earth, a position he got after selling out mankind to them.

Affably Evil: Breen's pretty well spoken and (mostly) calm for being a smug backstabber...

Faux Affably Evil: ... but he's also cold, dismissive, patronizing, and arrogant. Though he often covers it with a veneer of concern, friendliness, and approachability — especially in his Breencasts — the underlying disdain and indifference, even towards his allies, is unmistakeable.

Body Horror: Dummied Out from the original Half-Life 2 script was that Breen himself was going to be turned into an Advisor. (In fact, the last conversation Breen has with an advisor has him complaining there's no way he could survive Combine space, and apparently gets a psychic answer, because he then reacts incredulously that the Advisors have a less-than-pleasant way for him to live.)

Breen: I'd like to take a moment to address you directly, Dr. Freeman. Yes, I'm talking to you. The so-called One Free Man. I have a question for you. How could you have thrown it all away? It staggers the mind. A man of science, with the ability to sway reactionary and fearful minds toward the truth choosing instead to embark on a path of ignorance and decay. Make no mistake, Dr. Freeman. This is not a scientific revolution you have sparked... this is death and finality. You have plunged humanity into freefall. Even if you offered your surrender now, I cannot guarantee that our benefactors would accept it. At the moment, I fear they have begun to look upon even me with suspicion. So much for serving as humanity's representative. Help me win back their trust, Dr. Freeman. Surrender while you still can. Help ensure that humanity's trust in you is not misguided. Do what is right, Dr. Freeman. Serve mankind.

Corrupt Corporate Executive: He was the administrator of Black Mesa before becoming the Combine governor of the Earth, and pushed for the risky analysis that eventually led to the disaster in the first game.

The Ghost: In the first game, he's just referred to as "The Administrator" a couple of times.

Hypocrite: In his Breencasts he says that "small minds" use the term "the Combine", and ostensibly eschews that label in favor of "Our Benefactors" and "the Universal Union"; but when you meet him in person he calls them "the Combine" himself.

Misanthrope Supreme: His motivations are a wee bit unclear. He did convince The Combine to enslave rather than exterminate humanity (and was afterwards named Administrator of Earth), but whether he did so for personal power, or because he really cared about humanity is left unclear.

Narcissist: He's got propaganda posters of himself in City 17 and even busts of himself in some locations — including his own office. Then there's the fact he's got jumbo screens of himself talking plastered all over the place.

Never Found the Body: We never really know what happened to him after the end of 2 when The Citadel is destroyed.

Non-Action Big Bad: The final battle is against him, but it's the other soldiers and the gunships who are attacking you.

The Quisling: He refers to a genocidal race that owns a big chunk of the multiverse as "Our Benefactors", at least when speaking over the Breencasts.

Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Mildly. He's very eloquent and likes to use fancy or obscure synonyms for common words. It's like he reads thesauruses in his spare time.

Uncertain Doom: At the end of Half-Life 2, the platform lifting him up the teleporter collapses, and he seems to fall to his death. In Episode One, a recording of Breen conversing with an Advisor suggests he may have become (or had a copy of his mind transferred into) an Advisor.

Villainous Breakdown: He becomes increasingly impatient and childish as Gordon Freeman kills off his soldiers and starts a rebellion. When Gordon invades the Citadel, Breen goes from first trying browbeating him into surrendering, to frantically, but still condescendingly trying to reason with him, and finally he starts outright begging for him to stop. Later, while trying to escape via teleport, he resorts to juvenile taunting and mockery — then goes back to begging when it becomes clear that Gordon's not playing around.

Well-Intentioned Extremist: Judging by the events of the Seven Hour War, he managed to stave off extinction. It was either Death or A Fate Worse Than Death. He chose the latter. Breen might honestly believe that the Combine will elevate humanity to the next level, though he has turned a blind eye to Transhuman Treachery by the Combine, and his behavior behind closed doors suggests that he may be in this purely for the power.

The Combine, a.k.a. The Universal Union

A powerful trans-dimensional alien empire spanning thousands of galaxies, planets, and multiple universes, they conquered the Earth and are the main antagonists in Half-Life 2 and its Episodes, and sparked the events of the first game. Their occupation force on Earth, the Overwatch, consists of a portion of their transhuman forces (modified humans using human vehicles and weapons), and "Synths", aliens who have been modified and outfitted with cyborg attachments and pulse weaponry.

Artificial Brilliance: None of the Combine forces are stupid. The Overwatch soldiers will flank, throw grenades, and run to cover when reloading, the Hunters will use splash damage, flank, and lay down suppression fire, and the Gunships will wildly strafe while firing, and will even shoot down your missiles in mid-air. Foot-soldiers, however, do not have a high amount of hit points, and will usually get killed by the player before their strategies can kick in.

However, they do fight very aggressively, meaning that once you've figured out their tactics it's fairly easy to fall back and ambush them.

Authority Equals Asskicking: The Combine Advisors are the top tier in the Combine hierarchy, or very close to it; they have the authority to subsume any Combine forces they need, and sacrifice them without a second thought. While they resemble blind limbless grubs the size of baby elephants, they have powerful telekinetic and telepathic abilities, and are able to completely immobilize and control anyone around them, as well as levitate themselves for transport.

They are also Made of Iron. You actually briefly get a chance to shoot at one during the first stage of the assault at White Forest, using a mounted pulse cannon, which seems to be the Combine's equivalent to a .50 machine gun. Despite taking many shots, only a few of which are enough to kill Powered Armor wearing cyborgs, the Advisor shows no visible signs of injury and escapes unharmed. This also shows the limits of their powers; the Advisor can't actually throw Freeman around like the previous ones did, only being able to give him a headache, likely because of the (not at all long) distance between them.

Likely an example of Plot Armor though. They deliberately have a massive amount of health in Episode Two (over 1000) to prevent the player from killing them during the brief windows of opportunity. They're likely going to be boss battles or scripted kills in the next game, like striders or gargantuas.

Les Collaborateurs: The Civil Protection members are humans who willingly decided to work with the Combines. It is implied that while at least some of the volunteers has had somewhat sympathetic motives for joining up, such as better food and housing, many of them have done it for the power and brutality they are allowed to excise.

Creative Sterility: For all their advanced technology, The Combine Empire appears to be chronically unable to create something that is truly their own, original design. Every bit of their technology and utilities appears to have conceived by violently appropriating an already existing design from another race and then building upon, or rather twisting it until it serves the purpose they need it for.

Curb-Stomp Battle: The entire might of every military on Earth combined was utterly destroyed by them in just seven hours.

The Empire: Possibly the best example. Most fictional empires would be satisfied with taking over the world or, at most, the galaxy. The Combine instead conquered the entire universe. But then, even that wasn't enough, so they made portals to other universes and proceeded to conquer them too.

The End of the World as We Know It: After the fall of C17, the Union is pissed, and this is said to happen if the forces on Earth manage to call their empire for reinforcements.

Isaac Kleiner: What you're seeing is the infancy of a superportal. If it attains full strength –

Fake Ultimate Mook: The Combine Overwatch may look big and scary, but the untrained rag tag rebels are actually better shots (strangely this only applies to SMG's, Rebels and Combine soldiers are on par in accuracy with the other weapons). The Overwatch soldiers are actually more effective in combat though because of their ability to throw grenades and their slightly larger amount of health.

Fascist, but Inefficient: Shockingly so. Despite being an empire that spans multiple universes, encompassing countless galaxies, planets, and millions of different species, the Combine forgot to invest anything in worthwhile teleportation technology. Their travel methods are slow and inefficient considering the massive span of their empire, and their teleportation system, while functional, is actually less advanced than what Black Mesa designed.

Foreshadowing: At the very least, something much nastier than the Xenians was hinted at by the Nihilanth way back in the first game.

Nihilanth: Their slaves... we are their slaves... we are...

Gas Mask Mooks: Justified, in that Overwatch Transhuman troops are in use on other, non-human-habitable planets.

Apparently the Civil Protection officers just wear them because it looks intimidating. Also Justified; this is something SWAT teams do in real life. Besides, given how brutal the metrocops are, it's probably best they remain faceless and anonymous.

Greater Scope Villain: Of the first game. Also in Half-Life 2, while Breen acts as the Big Bad, the Advisors are clearly above him and are seemingly the Combine's leaders.

Insignificant Little Blue Planet: It's clear that they don't give two shits about Earth or the humans, considering the token force they've left to occupy it (with the majority of even the transhuman forces being used elsewhere) and the state of the planet after they're done draining it for resources. They've conquered millions of species, the humans are just one more to them.

On the other hand, once they learn that the Rebels have developed simple and cheap teleportation (compared to the Combine teleporters at least), the Combine becomes immensely more interested in their activities.

Load-Bearing Boss: A collective, in-story version. For all the Combine's cruelty, they at least did manage to keep the massive Antlion infestations in check and keep headcrabs out of their cities. But then Gordon Freeman blew up Nova Prospekt, destroyed their defensive network of machine gun bunkers and 'thumpers' on the coast (thereby letting the Antlions into Nova Prospekt), slaughtered hundreds of soldiers and Synths, started a worldwide rebellion, and blew up the Citadel. All these things caused the Combine to lose control over City 17, resulting in a massive invasion by the nearby Antlion colonies and an infestation of headcrab zombies. By the time Episode One begins, the entire region is caught in a four way struggle between the headcrab zombies, the antlion hordes, the Resistance, and the Combine.

Mecha-Mooks: The Earth Overwatch seems rather understaffed (likely due to most of the transhuman forces being shipped off-world), so make use of units like automated turrets, scanner drones, and manhacks to make up for it.

Multiversal Conqueror: According to Word of God, the Combine have already conquered several universes, enslaving their home species and forcibly modifying them for use as Synths. They're in the process of doing the same thing to Earth.

Planet Looters: It's very clear that the Combine have no long-term plans for Earth. They're visibly just taking every resource they can use (including the oceans, atmosphere, and some population) and shipping it off-world.

Police Brutality: Civil Protection; some of their terror-mongering acts include beating people for no reason, shooting people after they surrender and lining up innocent people on walls and using them for target practice in true Nazi-Gestapo-meets-Soviet-NKVD style. Think of them as a world-wide example of the Stanford Prison Experiment.

Putting on the Reich: The Civil Protection and Overwatch uniforms were based on Soviet and Nazi designs. This was more blatant in the original concept art.

Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Apparently as part of protocol, the Metrocops, Soldiers and even the OverwatchAnnouncer use medical jargon Newspeak to communicate. Alien intruders are "exogens", zombies are "necrotics", turrets are "sterilizers", soldiers are "stabilization delegates", Freeman, as Anticitizen One, is "malignant" and contact with him is a "staph infection". Troops are also routinely issued orders like "inoculate", "shield", "clamp" and "cauterize".

Slave Mooks: An entire army of them, most of the Combine soldiers you fight throughout Half-Life 2 and its episodes are actually cybernetically modified and enslaved transhumans. Also, the "Striders" "Gunships" "Hunters" "Dropships" and "Synth Scanners" you see in-game are all enslaved aliens or biomachines. It's implied that there are millions of enslaved species. The vortigaunts may have been one of them, though they were later found to be enslaved by the Nihilanth. In fact, the Nihilanth's species' role in relation to the Combine is never really explained and neither is Race X's role.

Sufficiently Advanced Aliens/The Juggernaut: They curb-stomped the combined military might of every country on Earth in just seven hours. It took Dr. Breen to convince them not to exterminate every single human and settle for enslaving us instead.

Sociopathic Soldier: Surprisingly, not the Overwatch. They're just brainwashed slaves. No, the real sociopaths here are in Civil Protection, mentioned above in Police Brutality; the corps consists of humans who joined the The Combine's forces willingly, for perks like extra rations and sexual privileges. They appear to be somewhere between SWAT police and low-ranking soldiers. Their tasks are basically to instill fear in every citizen, and to brutally crack down on small resistance pockets. Their technology is notably a bit more primitive, as well. Where the Overwatch and Airwatch use Striders, Gunships and energy weapons, CP units make due with APCs, patrol helicopters and sub-machineguns.

Starfish Aliens: The creatures running the whole thing, called "Advisors", resemble rhino-sized brain-sucking grubs with no eyes, arms, legs or face. The developers deliberately wanted to invoke the image of a species that passed its Singularity a very long time ago. They rely on mechanical arms and eyes for manipulation, and anti-gravity packs for movement. Well, those and their near-unstoppabletelekinetic and telepathic abilities.

Vestigial Empire: Not the Union itself, but its occupation of Earth is quite low in maintenance. Some of their own structures appear to be rusting, and most of their much stronger Synth army was withdrawn in favor of human occupation forces long ago. While the rest of the Union thrives, it's made evident they don't care much about Earth or its integrity.

We Will Wear Armor in the Future: Averted with the transhuman Overwatch soldiers, who wear kevlar-like soft armor that resembles modern riot gear with what look likes protective inserts, in contrast to the standard Sci-Fi plate armor with Shoulders of Doom that most FPS soldier enemies tend to wear.

Race X

A mysterious alien race from another dimension they only appear in Opposing Force, where their invasion is repelled by Adrian Shephard, and finally ended when the US government nukes Black Mesa. Their main soldiers are the Shock Troopers but they also have other creatures at their disposal such as the Pit Drone, Shock Roach, Voltigore, Pit Worm, and Gene Worm.

Big Bad Ensemble: Form one not only with the HECU but also with the Black Ops later on.

Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Haven't been seen since Opposing Force, and Marc Laidlaw has said that they were purely a Gearbox creation and don't figure into his thinking about the universe.

Eldritch Abomination: The Gene Worm is a gigantic monstrosity which has the power to convert any natural resource and by extension an entire planet in order to suit Race X's needs. It also houses an exit portal for reinforcements in its abdomen.

The manual for Opposing Force implies that it's several miles long and that the portion you fight in-game is just its head.

Attack Its Weak Point: ...if blinded in both eyes it opens its midsection revealing a portal, making it vulnerable to attack.

Made of Iron: Shock Troopers take about twenty MP5 shots to kill, or just three Desert Eagle shots. That's twice as much as the average human soldier.

Planet Looters: Their goal regardless of origin and affiliation is all very much the same: conquer a planet while also plundering all of it's resources, and then terraform it so it can be of better use as a more suitable colony.

Shock and Awe: The aptly named Shock Troopers which carry a weapon called a Shock Roach, insect-like creatures that shoot deadly electricity. Also, Voltigores, large creatures which shoot powerful bolts of purple electricity.

Starfish Aliens: Even more so than Xen's occupants which is saying a lot. For example, Shock Troopers, in their infantile stage, are green amphibious fish-like organisms; by the time they reach maturity, they gain a humanoid stature, two pairs of arms, and have more in common with insects than fish.

The Spook: Infamously known for this. The only things we do know about them is that they're interested in conquering and colonizing other planets, and that they have already mastered teleportation technology. Even in-universe, the higher ups at Black Mesa didn't fully know about their existence despite the countless research expeditions made on Xen.

Security Guard: What is that thing, doc?

Scientist: I don't know, I've never seen that species before!

Nihilanth

Voice Actor: Michael Shapiro (Half-Life 1)

The ruler of the Xen aliens and the main antagonist of the first Half-Life (and by extension, Blue Shift, Decay and part of Opposing Force). His race was under severe threat from the Combine, being hunted to near extinction. Some time prior to the first game, he enslaved the Vortigaunts, who were further pursued by the Combine. To escape them, he and the Vortigaunts fled to the border world, Xen, where they set up shop. Still desperate, he used the Resonance Cascade to launch an invasion of Earth, and despite the Black Mesa's scientists' best efforts to plug the rift between the dimensions, he was able to use his psychic powers to force it to stay open. His forces had success with pushing back the HECU, but his invasion was ended when the Black Ops nuked Black Mesa and Gordon Freeman traveled to Xen and killed him, finally closing the hole in the dimensions.

Always a Bigger Fish: Invoked by Nihilanth. He's undoubtedly talking about the Combine, or more specifically the Combine Advisors - or who they're advisors to.

Ambiguously Evil: Mostly because we know so little about him; what we do know casts him in an ambiguous light. On one hand, he did enslave the Vortigaunts and invade Earth, with his forces being quite indiscriminate in their killings. On the other hand, the Black Mesa scientists had repeatedly invaded Xen to take apparently valuable crystals and specimens (including actually sentient soldiers in the Nihilanth's army), and Marc Laidlaw confirmed that the Nihilanth's invasion of Earth was largely an act of desperation, as his kind had been hunted to near extinction by the Combine. He also seems to care somewhat about Xen's ecosystem, given his apparent horror in the telepathic message he sends to Gordon after Gordon kills the Gonarch ("'''Doooone... what have you dooooone?"), and was the only thing keeping the Combine from invading our universe.

Attack Its Weak Point: The only way Freeman can kill the Nihilanth is to fire everything he's got directly into its brain. Even then, it takes quite a bit of damage.

Authority Equals Asskicking: Just like the Combine Advisors, he leads a large army and has very powerful telekinetic powers, which include the ability to teleport himself and others, telepathy, the ability to shoot extremely powerful balls of lightning, and levitation. His commanders and possible relatives, the "Alien Controllers", also possess these abilities, but to much less powerful degrees.

Black Eyes of Evil: His eyes appear plain black, unlike his underlings, whose eyes are red. He may not even have eyes, just holes where they should be like the Stalkers, but it's hard to tell.

Body Horror: In addition to his general creepy anatomy, he also has what appears to be amputation scars on his chest, slave bracelets, and a mutilated legs that have been burned to vestigial stubs. But Marc Laidlaw denies that this is the result of being captured by the Combine, which is a common fan theory.

Fat Bastard: His torso looks a little more human-like than the other Xen aliens, making it somewhat noticeable that he looks overweight. This is likely the result of his legs being vestigial, and him floating around everywhere.

Flunky Boss: One of the more annoying parts about the fight with him. He'll launch a green orb that either teleports you to another room or spawns some vortigaunts or Alien controllers in his chamber. The second option isn't so bad, since he only spawns a few at a time, but him teleporting you to another room is very frustrating. In one instance, he'll teleport you to a room with a Gargantua, forcing you to have a boss fight in the middle of another boss fight.

Foreshadowing: His telepathic messages have a ton of this in regards to the Combine, the G-Man, Gordon, and possibly Breen and Shephard.

Also one in-story; his psychic powers were the only thing keeping the portals between the Combine's universes and Xen closed. When he died, the Combine were free to pour through Xen, and then to Earth.

Large and in Charge: The largest alien ever encountered in the series in terms of pure size. Even bigger than the three story tall tentacle monsters.

Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Much like the G-Man and the Vortigaunts, most of his comments may be just as much about the player as they are about something in-universe, and open to many theories. For example, in the quote below, he is both the last of his kind, possibly the last thing keeping the Combine away from Earth, and the last boss.

Psychic Powers: The only psychic seen so far, aside from possibly the G-Man, who can affect things on a planetary scale. He was able to keep open a dimensional rift, telepathically mind control an entire species, and, judging by what happened after he died, was powerful enough to trigger disastrous portal storms all over the Earth, resulting in Xen wildlife killing off most of Earth's native fauna. Compared to that, his personal combat abilities (which are still formidable) seem rather unimpressive.

Puzzle Boss/Damage-Sponge Boss: To actually damage him, you need to find out that he is using the crystals to regenerate his force field and destroy the crystals. After that, his protective orbs won't regenerate, and he can be killed, but it takes quite a bit of damage.

Straw Nihilist: Both his name and his cryptic comments to Gordon imply that he is a nihilist.

Telepathy: He broadcasts telepathic messages to Freeman all throughout Xen, and can also use this ability to communicate with other Xen creatures.

Turns Red: Inverted. Throughout the battle with him, he will become progressively weaker as he gets injured until he finally just starts firing one ball of lightning at a time at you, as opposed to the dozens he fired before.

What the Hell, Hero?: Nihilanth is warning Freeman the entire game to cut it out ("Deceive you... will deceive you...", "Their slaves... we are their slaves... we are...", "The truth... you can never know... the truth...") Basically, Nihilanth was the one thing preventing the Combine from invading Earth.

The HECU (Hazardous Environment Combat Unit)

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Voiced by: Mike Shapiro and Harry Robins (Half-Life 1)

The special forces unit who was sent to Black Mesa to clear up the aliens, it is soon discovered that they are also under orders to silence all the Black Mesa personnel...with bullets. They end up having to pull out, leaving behind dozens of their own troops in the process, while the Black Ops took over the operation.

Artificial Brilliance: They were praised as being the first tactically intellegent enemies in video games.

Badass Army: Consists of highly trained marines with a full repertoire of US Military hardware, including M1 Abrams tanks, M2 Bradley IF Vs, Apache attack helicopters, and even F-16 fighters. Unfortunately for them, they're a mere battalion-sized unit facing an entire alien invasion. Not to mention GordonFreeman.

Band of Brothers: Subverted and played straight. Many soldiers throughout Opposing Force are shown to care for their squad mates, but the same can not be said for many other members of the unit, particularly the commanders, who abandon several dozen soldiers in their attempt to escape from Black Mesa in blatant violation of the "Never Leave a Man Behind" policy. In fact, two of the soldiers refuse to turn Gordon over to their bosses because they don't want to see him alive after he'd killed so many of their compatriots.

Cavalry Betrayal: You rather quickly find out that they are not at Black Mesa to help the employees and especially not Gordon.

Moral Myopia: Two soldiers that capture Gordon seemed rather outraged at him for killing so many soldiers, even though 100% of those guys were trying to kill Gordon.

Retcon: Originally, they were only called "soldiers" or "the military". They received their current name in Opposing Force. In the original Half-Life, their helicopters even had a US Army logo on them.

Given this, and some other facts (HECU grunts are recognized as marines, land vehicles have Army markings, the F-16 is a plane used by the USAF) some fans have theorized that HECU is a multi-branch effort, like SOCOM in real life.

More Dakka: Many of their weapons, such as the M249 and Flash missile launcher. Hell, even their standard issue sub machine gun has a 50 round magazine.

Suicide Mission: After the Marines evacuate, they leave several soldiers behind. These soldiers, despite essentially being doomed men, still fight on to kill the more powerful aliens and therefore prevent them from ransacking Earth. Especially noticeable in "Opposing Force", when the corpses of dead marines can be found in the area where you fight the pit worm. Also in the final boss battle, when the security guard tells Shephard that some other marines went down to fight the Gene Worm and never came back.

The Engineer: He gets introduced in Opposing Force. While engineers are meant to fix vehicles, the engineer in Opposing Force is more useful for just opening locked doors with his blow torch and fighting with his Desert Eagle.

The Medic: Another class introduced in Opposing Force. While he isn't very effective with his Glock 17 handgun, he is the only thing in the game that can heal your teammates.

The Big Guy: Yet another class introduced in Opposing Force is a tall, muscular soldier toting an M249.

You All Look Familiar: They had exactly four models in the original game, which just changed the head: the caucasian officer who wore a beret, the normal mook who wore a gas mask, the shotgun using soldier who wore a balaclava and goggles, and the grenade launcher using African-American soldier who wore no hat or mask, and smoked a cigarette. The latter was changed to simply being an African-American version of the officer with a mustache in the HD pack.

White and Grey Morality: Their main job is to prevent an alien invasion, which means protecting Earth. Plus, it is hinted at in their conversations that they mistakenly believe Gordon (and by extension all the scientists at Black Mesa) intentionally caused the resonance cascade.

"So, who is this guy, Freeman?" "They say he was at Ground Zero." "Science Team? You think he was responsible, sabotage, maybe?" "Yeah, maybe. But one thing for sure is he's been killing my buddies." "Oh yeah, he'll pay. He will definitely pay!"

The Black Ops

A very shadowy unit sent to Black Mesa after the HECU failed their tasks, the Black Ops are there to remove everything in the facility, including the dozens of HECU stragglers left behind. In any way possible. Their purpose is only explained in Opposing Force.

Cold-Blooded Torture: In "Opposing Force", after defeating a bunch of Black Ops in a garage, you find an engineer who is bleeding and mortally wounded. You have to bring the nearby medic to him in order to save his life so he can open a door for you. It is clear the Black Ops tortured him for information.

Elite Mooks: In addition to being completely silent, the male black ops they use powerful hand to hand moves at close range, run much faster than the marines, and have a little more health. The female black ops on the other hand prefer to flip and jump around wildly while pelting the player with pistol fire and kung-fu kicks.

Faceless Goons: They all wear balaclavas, and the female black ops also wear night vision goggles.

Lampshades in "Opposing Force" when one Marine refers to them as "masked freaks".

Vortigaunts

Voice Actor: Lou Gossett Jr. (Half-Life 2), Tony Todd (Episode Two)

A race of peaceful aliens linked to something called the Vortessence. They were enslaved by the Nihilanth as factory workers and militia, and were one of the most common enemies in the original Half-Life; after the fall of the Nihilanth, they were free to converse with humanity and, come the arrival of the Combine, join the Resistance.

Hive Mind: Or at least an entire race somehow connected on a metaphysical level by the Vortessence. Whatever that is.

Magic by Any Other Name: They can shoot lightning, they can charge your suit, they can heal critically-injured Alyx, and power generators. And it's all just put down to "the Vortessence"

Not Always Evil: In the first game, they were typical Mooks for Gordon Freeman to mindlessly kill. It turns out, they were only fighting you because they were enslaved by the Nihilanth, and they help La Résistance in the second game and its episodes. Whoops. The G-Man tries to make Gordon feel guilty about this later on.

One-Man Army: You didn't think that the humans were the only ones with these, did you?

X-8973 and R-4913, the two Vortigaunts from the PlayStation 2 exclusive expansion, Half-Life: Decay. They are noticeably more durable than standard Vortigaunts, have stronger and seemingly more developed electrokinesis, and can regenerate health by damaging enemies. Something of a downplayed example though, as they work as a team and only get to take down twenty or so soldiers in the small bonus chapter in which they appear.

The three Vortigaunts in Episode Two who slaughter dozens of antlions, turning what used to be a tough Hold the Line moment into a glorious Curb-Stomp Battle. The one that accompanies you throughout the mines, nicknamed the Victory Mine Vortigaunt, is probably the best example.

Starfish Aliens: They have at least four eyes. That seem to all be the same eye. Also, they have three arms, lightning powers, and some sort of Hive Mind (that may or may not overlap with the very (vort)essence of the universe).

Starfish Language: Vortigese and the related "flux-shifting" ranges from a 'normal' spoken language to telepathy to a language where two vortigaunts have to talk at the same time to properly communicate.

Super Strength: While it is not as pronounced as the strength of the Grunts, they still have it. The very first time you encounter one, it breaks down a 20mm thick heavy metal door with a few hits, with the door being reduced to pieces.

Took a Level in Badass: In the first game, they were disposable mooks, slaughtered in droves by Freeman and the soldiers. By Half-Life 2, they're much more powerful combatants (individually about on par with the original's Hard mode Vortigaunts) and have gained new mystical abilities including, at one point, resurrecting someone from the dead.

Shu'ulathoi / Advisors

Rhino-sized, grub-like alien lifeforms. They led the Universal Union's Synth invasion of Earth, and now command the Combine forces stationed on Earth through Breen and the Overwatch, taking direct control in Episode 2. The Vortigaunts are familiar with the Advisors, whom they call "Shu'ulathoi", having long been enslaved by them. They are ancient beings, extremely intelligent and powerful, possessing a variety of psychic and telekinetic abilities.

Assimilation Plot: Every race the Combine conquers is either forcibly or willingly assimilated into their unified ranks. After Breen convinced the Advisors to not annihilate humanity, this has become their main goal.

Authority Equals Asskicking: It's unknown where exactly they fall in the Combine hierarchy, but Dr. Breen is completely subservient to them, as are all Combine-affiliated forces on Earth by extension. They're armed with extraordinarily powerful psychic abilities and end up directly commanding all of the Combine military force left on Earth by Episode Two.

Big Bad: At the very least they oversaw the Combine invasion of Earth, and later rule over its occupation from clandestine stasis pods.

Greater Scope Villain: Revealed in Episode Two to actually be the ones who were in charge all along, not Breen.

Blob Monster/Starfish Aliens: Other than their long tongues, they have no discernible body features, appearing like a mass of grey flesh, resembling grubs.

Cyborg: Apparently they aren't adapted to Earth's atmosphere (not yet, anyway) and as such are outfitted with a wide variety of odd mechanical apparatus.

Eldritch Abomination: According to the Vortigaunts, the Advisors are just now adapting to Earth's atmosphere and have "begun to hatch"; their true form is supposedly much more terrifying.

Evil Colonialist: Their entire motif is conquering then assimilating and/or enslaving all species they come across, or simply plundering their worlds for resources.

Evil Overlord: Unclear how high in the overall Combine rankings they are, but they are the overseers of the Combine occupation of Earth.

The Ghost: Their existence isn't known by anyone on Earth outside of the Combine's highest ranks and the oldest Vortigaunts; not even the folks of Black Mesa knew what they were. By Episode Two, it's revealed that Breen was little more than a puppet for their interests.

Mars Needs Water: The main reason they invaded Earth, it seems, was to siphon our ocean.

Master Race: Often believed that they are the masterminds of the entire Universal Union, or at least part of the leading race.

Mind Probe: Their long tongues allow them to pierce through humans easily; Word of God suggests they can literally suck out human brains in order to interpret their knowledge and their memories, making it especially vital that Resistance leaders don't fall into their clutches.

Mind Rape: Either through their vocal noises or through mind powers, they can induce debilitating, severely painful seizure-like effects on anything in their close proximity.

The graphic and sound effects used on screen when an Advisor is in close proximity gives a very realistic portrayal of what it's like to have a migraine. Don't get migraines? Now you know what it looks and sounds like to those who do.

Reality Warper: Not on the same level as the G-Man, but they are capable of freezing time and space in a short area, and can manipulate this localized area at will.

Justified by meta-explanations of canon; the years that Earth had been under their rule, they were merely there to observe and not intervene, part of Breen's obligation to prove to them that humanity was worth sparing and integrating into the Universal Union rather than eradicating outright.

Squishy Wizard: They have strong psychic attacks, but they're easily dispatched in a physical fight by Dog, and can even be taken out by conventional fire.

Super Intelligence: As some of the oldest beings in existence, they've got the intellect, accumulated knowledge, and the administrative skills to control, or at least aid in running, an empire that stretches across multiple dimensions. It's even implied that they mastered universal space travel at the same time as humanity was still in its Prehistoric era.

Villain Override: They remove Breen from power shortly before his death and assume direct command of the Combine occupation forces afterward.

You Have Failed Me: After Breen's consistent failures against the Resistance and Freeman, it's made clear they no longer have any use for him.

Headcrabs

Parasitic alien lifeforms. Originally from an unknown dimension far from Xen, they were eventually brought there by the portal storms. After the Resonance Cascade and the following portal storms, the headcrabs migrated and set up shop on Earth. Their most notable quality is their ability to turn humans (and possibly other creatures) into Zombies by attaching to their heads.

Body Horror: For unknown reasons headcrabs mutilate a persons body, possibly because as a parasite they are draining its "resources". Standard Zombies have their ribcages open like teeth and their organs are on display. The bloodied faces of the victims aren't much better.

It gets worse with elite zombies. Fast Zombies look like all of the flesh save the bare muscle is gone and the poisonouis zombies have a smashed in looking "face" and a back that appears to have been eaten away.

Butt Monkey: In a way they are this, even if they are creepy. They are usually getting obliterated by both Combine and rebels and even the game actively encourages you to kill them in "creative" ways such as throwing saws, using traps, or setting them on fire. Of the four factions competing for control by the end of Half-Life 2, they are probably the weakest, with their only saving grace being their sheer numbers.

Elite Mooks: In the first game, there were just basic headcrabs and zombies. The later games introduce new forms.

Opposing Force has the gonome, a mutated version of the standard headcrab zombie. Not only does it have more health than a normal zombie, but it can throw some sort of projectile and sprint.

Half-Life 2 introduces the fast headcrabs and poison headcrabs, as well as their accompanying zombie forms.

Fate Worse Than Death: Headcrab zombies can be heard crying out in pain, and playing their audio backwards reveals a large amount of dialogue such as "God Help Me! Help me!" or "Get it off me!" This heavily implies that headcrab victims are aware of what's happening but unfortunately there is no way to remove headcrabs without killing the victim.

Fragile Speedster: Fast headcrab zombies are the fastest ones by far, and are arguably the most dangerous for this reason. However, they have no more health than a standard zombie, and so are only a big threat in large numbers.

The Goomba: Both the zombies and the headcrabs themselves, with the former being almost a complete non-threat due to their slow speed, low health, and weak attacks, and the latter dying in one or two hits from just about anything and doing next to no damage.

Hell Is That Noise: Headcrab noises are all horrible, whether alone or from a zombie. Special mention has to go the poison headcrabs which make three distinctive noises: a disarming chirping noise, a rattle that sounds like a rattlesnake rattle, and when they attack they let out a horrible high-pitched scream that sounds almost human.

Antlions

Large, insect like creatures that migrated to Earth following the portal storms. They seem to operate much like many Earth insects, living in extremely large colonies with other antlions. After the events of Half-Life 2, the street war between the Combine and the Resistance has caused a breakdown of the Combine defenses, and the antlions have started pouring in to civilized areas.

Cannon Fodder: Antlion soldiers. The most commonly encountered ones by far, they pretty much just charge and attempt to bite/claw whatever is threatening the colony with little regard for personal safety. Good thing they're extremely numerous.

During Half-Life 2, they have a tendency of doing this - they push the player onto the sand, summoning more Antlions.

During Episode Two, they do this once Gordon reaches Griggs and Sheckley's hideout. Fortunately the forementioned rebels are quite adept at killing them, not to mention they have two turrets.

Barnacles

Large, stationary creatures that wait on the ceiling for prey to wander in range, where upon they grab their prey with their tentacle and pull it up into their mouth.

Extreme Omnivore: They'll eat just about anything organic, from humans to antlions to birds. On the other hand, should they pick up something they cannot eat such as wood, they'll chew it a little, get frustrated and spit it out.

Neck Snap: How they instantly kill non player characters in the second game. Freeman is immune, possibly due to his HEV Suit.

One-Hit Kill: If they actually manage to bite you. Fortunately, this is ridiculously easy to avoid, to the point where you'd have to be trying to get eaten to actually get eaten.

Overly Long Tongue: Weaponized, as they wait for prey to wander into their dangling tongues and drag them up to devour them.

Alien Grunt

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The backbone of the Nihilanth's Xenian army in the first Half-Life. The Grunts are tall, bipedal, muscular creatures with multiple red eyes, backward jointed legs, tube ears, vertical opening mouths, and an arm sticking out of their chest, similar to the Vortigaunts. They make up a large part of the invasion force during the Black Mesa Incident, where the Nihilanth's forces squared off against the HECU.

Bee Bee Gun: Their weapon, the Hivehand, which shoots alien "thornets", which are less like bees, and more like flying, poisonous, heat seeking armor-piercing daggers of death that can find you anywhere

Cyborg: Their armor and weapons look like they have been surgically grafted on to their bodies, and the Grunts themselves are artificially created in a factory.

Dumb Muscle: Averted. While their strength is mainly emphasized over their smarts, they clearly use strategy in their skirmishes. They use tactics such as firing their Hivehands to track those hiding behind cover and running between cover themselves when the opportunity sees fit.

Elite Mooks: They're much more dangerous than Vortigaunts, the other foot soldier of Xen in the first game, due to their high health, heat seeking projectiles, and armor.

No Sell: Shooting the armored parts of the Grunts will simply do no damage at all if you shoot them with a pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, or even an uncharged Tau Cannon. Oddly enough (and good for the player), their armor is placed just about everywhere but the Grunt's torso, the most likely place it is to get shot.

This isn't all they share; like the Controllers, they also have the Vortigaunts' red eyes, vertical opening mouths, backwards jointed legs, hoofed feet, bipedal posture, two legs, and claws (well, on their third arm at least).

Organic Technology: Their main weapon, the Hivehand, mentioned above, is a textbook case. This trope applies to the Grunts themselves, as they are a....

Servant Race: Towards the end of the game, you can find a factory run by Vortigaunts, with several barrels on an assembly line. Opening these barrels will reveal Alien Grunts- the implication being that the grunts are a manufactured species. This fits with the bio-technology theme of Xen.

Super Strength: In various scripted scenes, they're seen doing things like prying open steel doors with their bare hands, or punching marines through walls.

Gargantua

The tanks of the Xen forces. The Gargantua is a twenty foot tall blue creature with an armored shell, two vestigial arms, two functioning arms, and one large eye. Their main arms have pincers that can open to emit jets of blazing heat. They only appear a few times, but you will remember them.

Ambiguous Robots: Their seemingly metallic skin and built in weapons makes one wonder. They actually share a few traits with Combine synths.

Cyborg: Possibly. It does look pretty mechanical. Special mention goes to its built in weapons, glowing machine-looking eye that changes colors, and armored metallic skin.

Death from Above: How one is taken out in Forget About Freeman; Freeman calls in an air strike on it, and the HECU aircraft, not knowing who sent the signal, are happy to oblige. Cue exploding Garg.

Made of Iron: Bullets just bounce harmlessly off their skin. It takes a TON of explosive or electrical damage to actually put them down, more than the actual M1 Abrams tanks in the game. Even more so in the mod Black Mesa (a recreation of Half-Life 1 in HL2's engine), where there is absolutely no conventional way to kill them, even with all the explosives the player can carry; they can only be taken down with scripted sequences.

Mini-Boss: They serve this role whenever they appear in the original Half-Life; they're very tough, and half the time are meant to be taken down in scripted sequences to boot, but don't last as long and aren't as powerful as the actual bosses, of which there were only three (the Tentacle, the Gonarch, and the Nihilanth).

Natural Weapon: They can open their arms to release streams of fire/plasma/something that's powerful enough to actually reduce a human to Ludicrous Gibs rather than just burn them. They're also fond of simply crushing their enemies, or shooting a weird energy beam by stomping on the ground that can seek out targets and, again, gib them.

The Juggernaut: Bullets don't do a damn thing against it what with its metal carapace, and even if its still susceptible to both energy weapons and all explosives it's going to take a lot of ammunition to bring it down. It also still says a lot when the only things to one shot it are very strong discharges from a power station or a direct hit from a mortar strike, both instances being very coincidental.

Walking Tank: Notable because they actually resemble a giant version of the primary Xenian heavy infantry unit, the Alien Grunt. Both are bipedal, both have backwards jointed legs, hoofed feat, red eyes, multiple sharp teeth, and two arms ending in weird hand-less ends that open up. See◊for◊yourself.◊ This the only real hint we get it in-game that they're part of the Xenian military rather than just wild animals... well, that and the fact that they don't attack sentient Xenians the few times its possible to get Gargs and Vortigaunts in the same room. The same doesn't apply for Xenian wildlife.

Levitating Lotus Position: They strike this pose of the "hands closed together" variety whenever they launch their energy bolts at you.

Made of Iron: Despite being squishy looking, Controllers can take more damage than even the fully armored HECU soldiers, and much more than the Vortigaunts. This is likely because they have a weaker, invisible version of the Nihilanth's psychic shield, as they share many other abilities with him and do not visually wear any armor.

Mini Mook: They resemble the Nihilanth in many ways, but according to the Nihilanth himself, they're not of the same species. They look like hybrids of Nihilanth and vortigaunt, so maybe they're an artificial crossbreed species.

Mook Lieutenant: According to Laidlaw, the Controllers are basically conduits for the Nihilanth's psychic control of the Vortigaunts, and as a result are the highest ranked "generic" aliens on Xen.

Alien Aircraft

BFG: The powerful energy weapon they have built into their bellies, which in various scripted sequences is seen doing stuff like disintegrating rather thick rock formations and reducing an Osprey to scrap in less than a second of sustained fire.

Gentle Giant: When encountered on Xen, they're completely harmless, and are pretty much the only moving thing that WON'T attack you. On Earth, however, they act as a dropship for the Xenian forces and attack HECU aircraft.

Lightning Bruiser: Can take as much damage as a tank and fly at speeds that at least exceed Mach 1, evidenced by the shock waves they create.

Made of Iron: You only actually fight one once, at the end of Decay. It takes as much damage as a tank to put down, though that may just be its Final Boss-ness in action.

Natural Weapon: A laser-like weapon built into their belly that they can fire downward. It bares some resemblance to the weapon used by Combine Gunships when spawned by the console.

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